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You are going to read a magazine article about London. For questions 1 – 7, choose the answer (a, b , c or d) which you think fits best according to the text.
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The Spirit of London
London often gives the impression of being more comfortable with its past than its present. From the world famous landmarks of St Paul’s Cathedral, Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London to the traditional and well-loved double-decker buses, the theatres and the many grand hotels, England’s capital offers visitors a journey through centuries of history. This journey is even better now that the building works, which covered many historic sites, have been taken down. Newly cleaned and restored buildings are revealed, and the city looks as if it has been revitalized.
The city has also rediscovered its river. The area between the South Bank Arts Centre, which includes the National Theatre, and Tower Bridge, has been brought back to life and the city has found a new heart along the forgotten riverside. As you walk eastwards along the river from Westminster, you will discover that old warehouses have been transformed into galleries, shops and clubs.
Across the river from London Bridge is ‘The City of London’, the financial district of the capital. The City has its own historic delights such as the 15th century Guildhall and churches designed by Sir Christopher Wren. The best way to explore the City is on foot. For instance, you can ‘walk through the ages’, starting from Fournier Street and ending at the modern Lloyd’s building on Lime Street. Remember, however, that in London you are never far away from the past; the old-fashioned red telephone boxes are becoming popular again and many London pubs – where a visitor might ask for a pint of bitter – have been restored to their original Victorian beauty.
But the capital is not a historical theme park. It is a lively and exciting metropolis which is well-known for its popular culture, music, clubs, street fashion, and visual arts. Today, many of its wide variety of restaurants claim to be as good as in any other European capitals. For example, Marco Pierre White’s highly recommended restaurant at the Hyde Park Hotel is a perfect example of new English cuisine – unusual, sophisticated and extremely expensive. When it comes to shopping, Covent Garden and King’s Road in Chelsea offer a mixture of reasonably priced chain-store clothing and unique boutiques selling everything from rave gear to skateboards. Shoppers with full wallets and more sophisticated tastes should head for Knightsbridge, where Harrods and Harvey Nichols compete to be the most exclusive department store in London.
Much of London’s energy and originality is now centred in Soho, the city’s liveliest and most bohemian area, squeezed in between the department stores of Oxford Street and the bookshops of Charing Cross Road. Soho, once considered one of the dirtiest and most dangerous parts of London, was cleaned up in the early 1980’s. Today, with its gurgling cappuccino machines and pavement cafes, it has become a meeting place for all kinds of people (46) from all over the world, whatever the hour of day or night.
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So, even if you are new to the city, you don’t have to try hard in order to experience the real London. Despite its heavy traffic and shaking underground railway, it is still one of the world’s greatest and most cosmopolitan cities.
1. According to the first paragraph, what is the most outstanding characteristic of London?
a) the number of hotels
b) the number of historic sites
c) the number of landmarks
d) the number of theatres
2. What has recently happened alongside the river?
a) The area has been redeveloped.
b) A new bridge has been built.
c) New warehouses have been built.
d) Old warehouses have been torn down.
3. The City of London
a) was built by Sir Christopher Wren.
b) is mainly made up of churches.
c) is a museum of architecture.
d) contains different styles of architecture.
4. The new English cuisine is
a) well represented by White’s restaurant.
b) only available at the Hyde Park Hotel.
c) available in all London restaurants.
d) not worth the price the diner is expected to pay.
5. What does the writer think of London’s shopping facilities?
a) They are too expensive for most people.
b) They provide for a variety of tastes.
c) They are all quite reasonably priced.
d) They don’t have enough customers.
6. Before the 1980’s, Soho was
a) neat and tidy.
b) popular among foreigners.
c) very crowded.
d) unsafe and unclean.
7. What does ‘it; in line 46 refer to?
a) Soho
b) London
c) Oxford Street
d) shopping in London
Text C
Read the text and using the words in different type give a short summary.
Countryside
Most of the British live in towns and cities. But they have an idealised vision of the countryside. To the British, the countryside has almost none of the negative associations which it has in some countries, such as poor facilities, lack of educational opportunities, unemployment and poverty. To them, the countryside means peace and quiet, beauty, good health and no crime. Most of them would live in a country village if they thought that they could find a way of earning a living there. Ideally, this village would consist of thatched cottages built around an area of grass known as a ‘village green’. Nearby, there would be a pond with ducks on it. Nowadays such a village is not actually very common, but it is a stereotypical picture that is well-known to the British.
The countryside represents stability. Those who live in towns and cities take an active interest in country matters and the British regard it as both a right and a privilege to be able to go ‘into the country’ whenever they want to. Large areas of the country are official ‘national parks’ where almost no building is allowed. Maps can be bought which mark, in great detail, the routes of all the public footpaths in the country.
Even if they cannot get into the countryside, many British people still spend a lot of their time with ‘nature’. They grow plants. Gardening is one of the most popular hobbies in the country. Even those unlucky people who do not have a garden can participate. Each local authority owns several areas of land which it rents very cheaply to these people in small parcels. On these ‘allotments’, people grow mainly vegetables.
Answer the following questions.
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1. What is the British attitude to the countryside?
2. What does the countryside mean to people in different countries?
3. What is a stereotypical picture of a village to the British?
4. How do the British living in towns take part in country matters?
5. What do local authorities do to help the ‘unlucky people’ who do not have a garden?
III. Vocabulary Exercises
Ex.1. Translate the words in bold type.
1. It’s about ten minutes from the town centre.
2. I wish there was a bit more nightlife in this place.
3. We live in a fairly quiet street near a park.
4. We used to live on a very busy main road.
5. My dad’s moved to a house in the suburbs.
6. I live on the outskirts of Paris.
7. She lives in a nice part of town.
8. There’s a large factory which employs over 1000 people.
Ex. 2. a) Match the words on the left with those on the right.
| 1. city 2. tower 3. pedestrian 4. litter 5. bus / cycle 6. traffic 7. main | a) precinct b) bins c) lights d) street e) block f) centre g) lanes |
b) Now use these expressions in these sentences.
1. I wish people wouldn’t drop rubbish in the street. There are plenty of … around town.
2. It’s much safer for cyclists to get about these days with … everywhere.
3. They’re building a huge … in the centre of town. It’s going to house around a hundred families.
4. You can’t drive up that street any more. They’ve made it into a ….
5. Go straight down this road and turn left at the first set of….
6. The traffic system in the … is impossible. It’s all one way streets.
7. The … is where you’ll find all the large department stores and banks.
Ex.3. Put the following words into the appropriate columns below.
swimming pool; department store; shopping centre; railway station; football stadium; opera house; underground; leisure centre; multi-storey car park; university; theatre; museum; school; art gallery; taxi rank; college; mall; ice rink.
Culture Transport Education Sports Shopping
Ex. 4. Match the places on the left with the ideas on the right.
| 1. hospital 2. cathedral 3. cinema 4. nightclub 5. casino 6. concert hall 7. job centre 8. office block 9. library | a) gambling b) films c) work and business d) borrowing books e) classical music f) religion g) healthcare h) looking for work i) drinking and dancing |
Ex. 5. a) Complete the sentences with these words.
crowded traffic cosmopolitan stressful graffity rush hour
1. Trying to get a seat on the train during the … is a nightmare! It’s so …. Driving is even more … – the … is awful between 5 and 7.
2. The walls in the town centre are covered in ….
3. There’s a real mix of people in Brighton. It has a very … feel to it.
b) Now do the same with these.
efficient suburbs property prices commute convenient public transport
4. I love it here. Everything I want is only five minutes away. It’s so …..
5. Everything’s a bit more expensive here and …. are extremely high. A lot of people have no choice but to live out in the … and … in to work.
6. It’s so easy to get around. … is excellent – it’s cheap and ….
c) Now choose the correct ending for each sentence.
1. People are always so busy. Everybody’s ….
2. The roads are terrible. I’m always getting ….
3. The underground system is impossible. I’m ….
a) getting lost.
b) stuck in traffic.
c) rushing about all the time.
Ex. 6. Fill in the gaps with a suitable word or phrase.
1. Don’t forget to … your … belt when you … the car.
2. There was a bad accident this morning. One driver died, the other driver was badly …, and both cars were badly ….
3. In the morning, the … starts at about 7 o’clock and goes on until at least 9.30. Then it starts again about 4.30 in the afternoon.
4. It was raining, so when I … the car didn’t stop quickly enough, and I … into the back of the car in front.
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5. The bicycle hit me just as I stepped off the … to cross the road.
6. The car …, so I phoned a garage and they sent someone to repair it.
7. There was a terrible …, and that’s why it took me two hours to get home in the car.
Ex. 7. What facilities would your ideal town have? Name the three most important facilities for you in each of the categories:
Sport, cultural, educational, catering and night-life, transport, other.
Ex. 8. Write sentences about any towns you know, using each of the adjectives given below.
busy crowded clean dirty fascinating historic isolated lively
magnificent modern picturesque stressful
Example: The most picturesque part of my town is the old market place.
Ex. 9. Continue the descriptions of towns.
Example: It’s a good place for old people to live…It’s got a pleasant climate, there isn’t much traffic, and there are lots of parks.
1. It’s a rather dirty town ….
2. It’s a good place for students….
3. It’s a very beautiful town ….
4. It’s a really boring place to live….
5. It’s a good place to live if you’ve got young children ….
6. It’s a large industrial city ….
7. It’s a big tourist centre ….
Ex. 10. Replace the words in italics by one of the words from the list.
capital crowded international isolated local neighbouring
rural urban ancient fascinating huge
1. It’s much healthier to live in a country area, far away from the city.
2. Sue has just moved to a nearby town.
3. We lived in the middle of nowhere in an out of the way cottage.
4. Paris is the most important city of France.
5. There is not much world news in this newspaper.
6. I do my shopping at the neighbourhood shops, not in the town centre.
7. At weekends the town centre is always full of people.
8. There is far too much pollution nowadays in city area.
9. The church looks very old.
10. The market’s interesting.
11. That park is really big.
Ex. 11. Complete each sentence with one word from the list.
block centre crossing hall junction part place station traffic zone resort
1. The police officer asked me to come with him to the police ….
2. When you reach the road … turn right.
3. The mayor’s office is in the town ….
4. Margaret lives on the top floor of a … of flats.
5. Cars have to stop for you if you use a pedestrian ….
6. Which … of town do you live in?
7. You can buy fresh fish in the market … every Friday.
8. Take the first turning on the left after the next set of … lights.
9. The centre of town is now a traffic-free … and cars are banned.
10. A new shopping … has been opened on the edge of the town.
11. We spent two weeks in a lovely seaside ….
Ex. 12. Fill each gap with a word from the list and make a compound word.
about bridge ground path ground park roads side skirts doors
1. Our children spend a lot of time having fun at the local play ….
2. When you reach the cross …, take the road to Linton.
3. You have to turn left when you reach the next round ….
4. We can’t leave the car here. We’ll have to look for a car ….
5. Follow this foot … until you reach the main road.
6. There was an old woman selling fruit at the road ….
7. Paula lives on the out … of the town, where the countryside begins.
8. You can cross the railway line by walking over a foot ….
9. It’s a lovely day. Why don’t we have lunch out ….
10. It’s easy to travel in London if you use the Under ….
Ex. 13. Complete each sentence with a compound word made out of two words from the list.
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air bus car centre city hour jam
parking pollution rush park stop ticket traffic
1. The roads were crowded and I was stuck in a … for hours.
2. The … is bad in this city. It’s getting hard to breathe.
3. I left my car in the wrong place and the police gave me a ….
4. I had to pay a fortune to leave my car in a multi-storey ….
5. I waited at the … for hours but all the buses were full.
6. There is always a lot of traffic during the ….
7. The Government has decided to ban all cars from the ….
Ex. 14. Choose the most suitable word in italics in each sentence.
1. We arranged to meet at the centre of town in the main place / square.
2. Their cottage is in the heart of some beautiful country / countryside.
3. The children spent all day playing on the sandy beach / seaside.
4. I dropped my ice-cream on the earth / ground, so I couldn’t eat it.
5. This footpath / pavement leads across the fields to the village.
6. There was a wonderful scenery / view from my hotel room.
7. You can’t stop here. Car-park / parking is not allowed in this street.
8. Helen decided to leave the county / land and work abroad.
9. Buses pass the bus station / stop outside my house every ten minutes.
10. Jan’s house was at the end of a narrow country lane / street.
11. Brighton is a popular / touristic seaside town.
12. In Greece we visited several ancient / antique temples.
Ex. 15. Match the words from the list with the explanations.
street sign hedge kerb lamp post pavement litter rubbish
pedestrian crossing post-box gate subway smog verge
1. This is a safe place to go from one side of the street to the other.
2. This has a light at the top in the street.
3. This is where people walk in the street.
4. This is a kind of wall made of a living plant.
5. This closes the opening in an outside wall.
6. This is a line of stones between the footpath and the road.
7. This helps you to know where you want to go.
8. This is a way of crossing under the road.
9. An official metal box in a public place, fixed to the ground or on a wall into which people can put letters to be collected and sent by post.
10. This is a strip of grass at the side of the road.
11. The paper people drop in the street.
12. A mixture of smoke and fog.
13. Things which we throw away.
Ex. 16. Supply the best word or words.
1. It’s wide and large and it’s often lined with trees. It’s ….
a) an avenue b) an alley c) a street
2. Climb to the top of a hill so that you can admire the ….
a) country b) land c) countryside
3. You have to drive very carefully if a road is full of ….
a) angles b) bends c) corners
4. An open place in a city, town or village where people like to sit. It’s called ….
a) a square b) a circus c) a place
5. It’s often made of iron and can lead into a garden. It’s ….
a) a port b) a door c) a gate d) a doorway
6. We employ 900 workers in this ….
a) factory b) fabric
7. You can buy anything in a large ….
a) boutique b) store
8. Cannes is a famous European holiday ….
a) camp b) resort c) hotel d) accommodation
9. The museum is … next to the planetarium.
a) situated b) placed c) put d) stood
Ex. 17. Read these texts describing the places, and fill in the gaps with suitable prepositions from the lists below.
My Neighbourhood
through outside from opposite on near in
My flat is (1) … the fifth floor of a high-rise block which is (2) … a busy road. During the day we can hear the traffic passing (3) …, which can be quite disturbing, but fortunately there is a park just (4) … our building, so we have a pleasant view of grass and trees (5) … our living-room windows. I often walk (6) … the park to get to the bus stop on the other side. The centre of town is quite (7) … my flat, so it’s convenient for both shopping and entertainment.
My Town
across in behind on through
My hometown is situated (1) … the south coast of England. It is very picturesque, with wooded hills (2) … it and a river running (3) … it. Most of the buildings (4) … the High Street are old and quant, and there are several beautiful old bridges. (5) … the river you’ll find the newer part of the town, which is also very attractive. I think my town is one of the prettiest in England.
IV. Dialogues
1. Read the dialogue in pairs.
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